The social media company Wednesday said it is switching to fewer but bigger ads on the right-hand column of the desktop PC version of its website because users respond more frequently to them.

The new right-hand display ads — which may appear on Facebook later this month — will have the same proportions as News Feed advertisements, which inject paid marketing messages straight into a user’s stream of news and content.

A sample image on the Facebook for Business blog showed a single ad in the right-hand column. The company previously displayed up to seven box-like display ads in the right-hand column.

In tests of the new ad design, Facebook — which has more than 1.2 billion users — said it has seen up to three times more user “engagement” with the ads.

Facebook stock closed at $62.41 on Wednesday, up $4.22 or 7.25 percent.